Dichrostachys glomerata (DG) is a semi-deciduous to deciduous tree up to 7 meters tall with an open crown. Bark on young branches appear green and hairy but dark grey-brown and longitudinally fissured on older branches and stems; smooth on spines formed from modified side shoots. Hypodaphnis zenkeri (HZ), is a lower storey tree of the lowland rain-forest to 17 m high by 1.60 m in girth, occurring in S. Nigeria and W. Cameroon, and in E. Cameroun and Gabon. The heart-wood is a good timber, grey to dark chestnut color and easy to work. Xylopia aethiopica (XA) is is an evergreen, aromatic tree, growing up to 20 m high. It is a native to the lowland rainforest and moist fringe forests in the savanna zones of Africa.
Obesity and its related complications (cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension etc) are on the increase worldwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of nutritional supplementation with three spices Dichrostachys glomerata (DG), Hypodaphnis zenkeri (HZ), and Xylopia aethiopica (XA) on cardiovascular risk factors in obese subjects.
Obesity can be attributed to complex physiological, genetic, cultural and psychological factors. Despite a growing awareness of the detrimental effects of excessive body fat on health, obesity remains a major public health problem in the world.
Numerous epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that, obesity itself is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (Colditz, et al., 1995; Chan et al., 1994), and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk (Adams et al., 2006). Cardio-metabolic risk as defined by metabolic syndrome is characterized by the presence of abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance or glucose intolerance, pro-thrombotic states, and pro-inflammatory states (Aronne, 2006). These concomitant abnormalities which often occur in obesity magnify the risk of cardiovascular disease and require aggressive management of all cardiovascular risk factors. This includes the lifestyle modification treatment plans and pharmacological therapies (Aronne, 2006). A widely held view, which has not been subjected to rigorous critical evaluation in large-scale prospective studies, is that modest (approximately 5%-10%) intentional weight loss is associated with significant improvements in obesity-related cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities (Golstein, 1992; Williamson, 1997). The current pharmacotherapy that target cardiovascular and metabolic risk include drugs which promotes weight loss and improves metabolic risk factors and others drugs, which reduce metabolic risk factors without treating obesity. Such drugs are expensive, have a variety of negative side effects, often are less effective over time and provide different results for different people, thus encouraging investigation of new dietary supplements as therapy.
Spices are amongst the thousands of food flavoring substances used worldwide (Cadby, 2004). They have also been used for generations, as components of traditional medicines (lai and Roy, 2004). There is scientific evidence to support the fact that, several spices possess beneficial physiological effects which can have potential therapeutic applications in a variety of disease conditions (Peter, 2006). The components of spices responsible for the quality attributes have been designated as “active principles,” and in many instances, they are responsible for the observed beneficial physiological effects. Spices are generally rich in protein, with the ash content varying from 2.3% in marjoram to 16.7% in basil leaves. Some spices contain significant levels of vitamins and minerals, which cannot be ignored. A few spices are also rich sources of dietary fibres (Srinivasan, 2005). Both animal and human studies have unequivocally demonstrated the hypocholesterolemic effects of spices (Srimal, 1997).
In a recent study, dietary supplementation with aged garlic extract showed better beneficial effects, relative to fresh garlic, on the lipid profile and blood pressure of moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects (Steiner et al., 1996). The antioxidant properties of several spice principles were investigated in rats by measuring the lipid peroxidation induced both in vivo and in vitro (Joe & Lokesh, 1994; Reddy & Lokesh, 1994).